I
told him all about it, and what I had been doing. He made out a list of
things to eat and exercises. I am being taken care of just as you did,
so I will go on growing well and strong. The trouble is they are too
good to me. I would just love to shuffle my feet in dead leaves, and lie
on the grass this morning. I never got my swim in the lake. I will have
to save that until next summer. He also told grandfather what you said
about Uncle Henry, and I think he was pleased that you tried to find him
as soon as you knew. He let me see the letter Uncle Henry wrote, and it
was a vile thing----just such as he would write. It asked how much he
would be willing to pay for information concerning his heir. I told
grandfather all about it, and I saw the answer he wrote. I told him some
things to say, and one of them was that the honesty of a man without
a price prevented the necessity of anything being paid to find me. The
other was that you located my people yourself, and at once sent me to
them against my wishes. I was determined he should know that. So Uncle
Henry missed his revenge on you. He evidently thought he not only would
hurt you by breaking up your home and separating us, but also he would
get a reward for his work. He wrote some untrue things about you, and I
wish he hadn't, for grandfather can think of enough himself. But I will
soon change that. Please, please take good care of all my things, my
flowers and vines, and most of all tell Belshazzar to protect you with
his life. And you be very good to my dear, dear lover. I will write
again soon, Ruth."

When the Harvester had studied the letter until he could repeat
it backward, he went to the cabin and answered it. Then he sent
subscriptions for two of Philadelphia's big dailies, and harvested
ginseng from dawn until black darkness. Never was such a crop grown in
America. The beds had been made in the original home of the plant, so
that it throve under perfectly natural conditions in the forest, but
here and there branches had been thinned above, and nature helped by
science below. This resulted in thick, pulpy roots of astonishing size
and weight. As the Harvester lifted them he bent the tops and buried
part of the seed for another crop. For weeks he worked over the bed.
Then the last load went down the hill to the dry-house and the helpers
were paid. Next the fall work was finished. Fuel and food were stored
for winter, while the cold crept from the lake, swept dow